Exclusive: Intercepted radio chatter and drone footage appear to capture Russian orders to kill surrendering Ukrainian troops

Kyiv, UkraineCNN — The radio crackled, but the order barked into it was clear: Capture the commander and kill the others.The chilling exchange was part of a series of radio transmissions between Russian forces that Ukrainian officials say provide further evidence that Russian superiors are ordering soldiers to execute surrendering Ukrainian troops in violation of international law.The radio communications intercepted by Ukraine, which were obtained by CNN from a Ukrainian intelligence official, appear to correspond in time with drone footage of a suspected execution by Russian soldiers in Ukraine’s eastern Zaporizhzhia region last November. The footage shows six soldiers lying face down on the ground, with at least two being shot at point blank range and another being marched away.Those deaths are under investigation by Ukrainian prosecutors, who shared a screenshot of the drone video on social media after the incident. A Ukrainian official familiar with the investigation said that the same radio intercepts CNN had obtained were being examined as part of the inquiry into the killings.CNN has not been able to independently authenticate the radio traffic, or confirm the communications were directly linked to the drone footage, but a forensic expert who analyzed the audio files said they did not appear to have been manipulated.Listen to the intercepted Russian radio transmissions …02:04A leading United Nations investigator and a Western intelligence official told CNN the radio transmissions and drone footage were consistent with other instances of Russian forces allegedly executing surrendering Ukrainian troops.Morris Tidball-Binz, the UN’s special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, said the radio transmissions and drone footage suggest the killing of surrendered soldiers by Russian forces, as has been reported by the UN.Tidball-Binz, who has investigated similar suspected executions, called such incidents “grave breaches” of international law, adding that he believes this conduct could only be authorized by the highest authorities in Russia.They “would not happen with such numbers and frequency without orders – or at the very least consent – from (the) highest military commanders, which in Russia means the Presidency,” he said.The Russian Ministry of Defense has not responded to CNN’s request for comment on the allegations.Russian officials have previously denied that Russian troops have committed war crimes and insisted that Russia treats prisoners of war in accordance with international law.